ubuntu-ca Digest, Vol 33, Issue 2--gnucash

[Gordon Dey]

ubuntu-ca-request at lists.ubuntu.com wrote:

> I have never used GNUcash, and don't know anything about accounting.  
> But the gnucash web site has 4 links for documentation:

I've used gnucash with a non-profit, worked nicely to give us the sense of how 
things are and how they are going.

The thing is, you really need some underpinnings on double-entry accounting to 
understand why a mess of things are where they are and what they're going to 
do. Suggestion: if accounting isn't your forte (and it isn't mine--IANAA) I 
suggest starting off with something like the 'accounting for dummies' which can 
be borrowed from libraries.
Once you have a grip on the 'what it's trying to achieve', you'll be able to 
take any one of the templates that comes with gnucash and tune it to your 
needs. I typically spread the 'books' across multiple desktops all at the same 
time so it's easy to flip back and forth between the most heavily referenced 
parts. Of course, with underpinnings, you probably could make any such 
accounting package work for you...